HOSPICE CEREMONY A SALUTE TO VETERANS

Staffer creates countywide program after Marine’s visit
to her grandfather

Retired 1st Sgt. John Farritor, 93, rubbed elbows with Hollywood stars during the making of “Sands of Iwo Jima” and “Salute to the Marines,” filmed during the 1940s at Camp Pendleton. On May 13, Farritor and fellow veterans were the stars at a ceremony not far from the base honoring World War II and Korea vets.

Farritor, who fought on Iwo Jima and served in the Marine Corps for 30 years, was among 35 veterans honored at a “Salute to Our Veterans” at the Rancho Vista senior living center.

The crowded room was quiet when the bugler played the music for each branch of the military. At the sound of their song, several men took off their hats and put them over their hearts.

Many veterans wore military caps with their branch affiliations; some wore dress uniforms. One veteran had the Marine Corps emblem glued on the headrest of his wheelchair.

One by one, the servicemen and women came to the front as their names were called and were applauded as an American flag was pinned on their shirt collars. Those who couldn’t come up were applauded at their seats.

And others who couldn’t make it to the dining hall had a pinning ceremony in their rooms by 10 veterans who volunteer with Elizabeth Hospice.

The scene has been played out at senior care facilities throughout the county since November, when the Escondido-based Elizabeth Hospice started the program. Thus far, 250 area veterans have been recognized.

“Some of these veterans had never heard a thank you from the community,” said Lisa Marcolongo of Elizabeth Hospice, coordinator of the recognition program.

Marcolongo, whose husband, Maj. Nico Marcolongo, is a 14-year Marine Corps veteran, came up with the idea after a Marine visited her grandfather, a World War II veteran, while he was in hospice care.

“It was a powerful connection with his military years,” she said. “After all those years, he told stories of his war experiences that we had never heard before.”

At the ceremony in November, six Camp Pendleton Marines who had just returned from Iraq did the honors, pinning on the flags.

“It was moving — the older Marines and the younger,” Marcolongo said.

The one-hour program in Vista included a presentation by former U.S. Army nurse Dawn Elders, whose father served in the Navy. “We should serve our veterans as well as they served us,” Elders said.

The ceremony concluded with the singing of “God Bless America” led by Samuel Nehemiah, an athlete born in Nigeria, and past winner of “Best Wheelchair Athlete of the Year” title.

Before singing, Nehemiah told the crowd, “Bless you for the sacrifices you make for this country and for people, like myself, all over the world.”